Clean sweep at storage auction
A former gold miner has struck gold with a clean sweep at a ‘‘Storage Wars’’ style auction.
Wayne Robinson was the top bidder for four storage containers that went under the hammer at Tasman Storage in Richmond on Saturday.
About 100 people turned up to inspect the containers, which were opened five minutes before bidding began. While bidders could peer inside, no rummaging was allowed before the contents were auctioned off in their entirety.
Auctioneer John Walker kept up a steady patter to keep the crowd engaged. ‘‘There are paintings in this one: look at that, I think they’re Picassos.’’
Robinson, a second-hand dealer, came prepared with two trucks, he said. ‘‘I’m serious about today,’’ he said.
His bids, totalling about $700, bagged him a collection of furniture, mattresses, a fishing rod, an industrial locker, a chest freezer, a fishing rod and other items.
Robinson, who lives in Eightyeight Valley, is from a family of gold miners and farmers.
His father taught him to fix up old items: machinery and furniture, and got him into auctions. Robinson’s first win was a $5 box of tools, at 16. Since then, he’s been to thousands of auctions, buying unwanted goods to do up and sell on.
‘‘I haven’t found a lot of gold, no rolls of money or safes. It’s just something I like doing.’’
‘‘But you did find gold once,’’ Walker reminded him.
‘‘Samples of gold from Shanty Town,’’ Robinson conceded.
‘‘He’s been very diverse in the things he has bought,’’ Walker said.
While Walker’s banter is cheerful, the auctions for the unclaimed items are his least favourite job, he said.
‘‘It’s sad: you’re liquidating someone’s life.’’
But opening a container to reveal the items inside is exciting, he admitted.
‘‘Don’t ask me what’s in them – it could be gold, but it could be nothing. It’s interesting, it’s exciting: it’s a lucky dip.’’
Walker does two or three of these auctions a year. There are always surprises: passports, paperwork and illegal items.
And rarely, personal items of a nature he’d prefer didn’t appear in print, he said.
‘‘Don’t ask me what’s in them – it could be gold, but it could be nothing.’’ John Walker auctioneer